Following the killing of 34 striking platinum miners in Marikana by police on August 16, a South African bishop has expressed his concern that a court has indicted 270 of their comrades over the deaths but not charged the police officers who fired on the crowds.Mgr Kevin Dowling, Bishop of Rustenburg, said, "It is very strange that miners are incriminated in the deaths on August 16 and not the police officers who fired real bullets against demonstrators."
The local prosecutor has indicted 270 workers from the Marikana mine, who are still in prison, including those who were unarmed or on the margin of the crowd that clashed with police.
In previous clashes, ten more people died, including two policemen.
Bishop Dowling said, "The investigation concerning the behaviour of the police is still open, so one should see if this will lead to a prosecution even against members of the police."
In the meantime, talks between the managers of the mine, trade unions and government mediators to find an agreement that allows to solve the crisis have been suspended.
The talks will resume on Monday, September 3.
"Let's hope for the best, but the negotiation is going very slowly. The indictment of the miners is also likely to lead to more protests. The situation remains fragile," concluded Mgr Dowling.